The Honourable Sir Charles Tupper Essay, Research Paper

Sir Charles Tupper

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Sir Charles Tupper “The human mind naturally adapts itself to the position it

occupies. The most gigantic intellect may be dwarfed by being cabin’d, cribbed and

confined. It requires a great country and great circumstances to develop great men.”

Charles Tupper, 1865.

By reason of his personal skills and experience, no one had greater qualification to

be prime minister than Charles Tupper. It is one of the strange quirks of fate and Canadian

history that he served the shortest term of office of any prime minister.

Charles Tupper was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia in 1821, the son of a Baptist

minister. He was educated at Horton Academy in Wolfville and trained as a doctor in

Edinburgh, Scotland. After returning to Canada in 1843, Tupper established a practice in

Amherst.

He entered politics in 1855 when he ran for the Conservatives party in Cumberland

riding. To the astonishment of all, the young Tupper defeated the renowned Reform

canidate, Joseph Howe. By 1864, he was Premier of Nova Scotia. Tupper supported

Confederation movement and participate as a delegate at the Charlottetown, Quebec and

London Conferences. It was primarily through his efforts as a Father of Confederation that

Nova Scotia joined the union in 1867, despite the strong anti-Confederation movement in

the province. The same year, Tupper ran for the federal Parliament and was the only Nova

Scotia member supporting Confederation to be elected.

He turned down a position in Cabinet, knowing that political expediency required

Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald to offer ministries to others. In fact, Tupper went

so far as to persuade the anti-Confederation supporter Joseph Howe to accept the union

and join Macdonald’s Cabinet in 1869. Such loyalty and self-sacrifice earned Tupper an

unofficial position as Macdonald’s right-hand man. In 1870, Tupper became President of

the Privy Council, Minister of Inland Revenue in 1872 and by the next year, he was

Minister of Customs.

When the Conservatives returned to power in 1878, Tupper became Minister of

Public Works and the following year, Minister of the newly-created portfolio of Railways

and Canals. During this period, he oversaw the completion of the Canadian Pacific

Railway. In 1884, Tupper resigned from Cabinet, having been appointed Canadian High

Commissioner to Great Britain the previous year. He returned for sixteen months in 1887

to serve as Minister of Finance and then resumed his post in London.

To some members of the Conservative party, Tupper was the natural successor to

Macdonald when the old chieftain died in 1891. However, he was passed over in favour of

John Abbott and then John Thompson in 1892. Upon Thompson’s death in 1894, Tupper

was once more put forward. The choice resided with the Governor General, Lord

Aberdeen, who had the power to appoint a successor if a prime minister resigned or died

while still in office. Lord Aberdeen was a man of decided Liberal leanings and found

Tupper too “Conservative” for his liking. Tupper’s reputation as a philanderer shocked

Lady Aberdeen, whose opinions had considerable influence on her husband. Mackenzie

Bowell became prime minister in 1894. The Aberdeens held out against Tupper even

during the Cabinet Revolt of January 1896 which attempted to oust Bowell. Lady

Aberdeen suggested to her husband that he call upon the Opposition, rather than Tupper,

to form a new government. Bowell remained prime minister, but the Conservatives offered

Tupper a Cabinet post. A by-election gave him a House of Commons seat, which Bowell

did not have, from which Tupper effectively led the party. When Bowell resigned in April

1896, Aberdeen appointed Tupper prime minister.

While in Cabinet, Tupper attempted to settle the Manitoba Schools Question, but

the Opposition blocked passage of the bill. Time ran out for the Conservatives; their five

years in office were up. As soon as Bowell had stepped down, they were forced to call an

election. In spite of Tupper’s aggressive campaign, the Tories could not win. There had

been too many scandals, too many contentious issues and too many prime ministers. The

Liberals won a resounding victory. Tupper remained leader of the Conservatives until

1901, having lost his seat in the election the year before.

Tupper’s duration as prime minister may have been the shortest, but his marriage

lasted longer than any other leader. He married Frances Morse, from a well-connected

Amherst family in 1846, and they had six children. When she died in 1912, they had been

married sixty-five years. One of their sons, Charles Hibbert Tupper, also had a

distinguished career in politics and served as a Cabinet minister under Macdonald, Abbott,

Thompson and Bowell.

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The Right Honourable Sir Charles Tupper

Born

The 2 of July 1821, Amherst, Nova Scotia

Education

The University of Edinburgh, (Medicine),

Scotland, 1843

Personal Status

Married in 1846 to France’s Morse (1826-1912)

He had three sons and three daughters

Professional Life

He was a physician

In 1867-1870 he became the President of the Canadian Medical Assocation

Author

Party

Conservative

From 1896-1901 he was a Party Leader

Represented

1867-1884, 1887-1888 Cumberland, Nova Scotia

1896-1900 Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Other Ministries

1857-1860, 1863-1867 Provincial Secretary (Province of Nova Scotia)

1870-1872 President of the Privy Council

1872-1873 Inland Revenue

1873 Customs

1878-1879 Public Works

1879-1884 Railways and Canals

1887-1888 Finance

1896 Secretary of State

Political Record

He was the Premier of Nova Scotia in 1864-1867

He Participated in the Confederation Conferences of Charlottetown 1864,

Quebec 1864, and London 1866

He was the Father of Confederation 1867

Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway 1879-1884

High Commissioner to the United Kingdom 1884-1887, 1888-1896

Leader of the Opposition 1896-1901

Died

30th of October 1915, England

Buried

St. John’s Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia

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